The USA is a great place to live. It has a proud history of innovation, prosperity and fine character. Our forefathers threw off the yoke of King George’s tyrannical rule after a long, bloody struggle. The people came together after the War of Northern Aggression. Just a few generations ago our ancestors made it through the Great Depression to become the greatest power on earth by working with our allies to defeat the greatest (at the time) evil on earth. My fathers generation did what they had to do to conquer the Axis menace, then came home to raise their families.

However, after that, something went awry as we seem to have misplaced our collective will to overcome obstacles as so many seek, not victory or accomplishment, but the path of ease and least resistance. We’ve passively accepted the presence of a permanent underclass, lulled into dependence on a government that demands nothing from them, but allegiance at the voting booth. But that is not the worst curse on our land.

There is a consensus among pollsters that the people do not want ObamaKare. However, there is also a consensus among these same pollsters that a great majority of Americans want the government shutdown to end. They don’t like the inconvenience. They don’t like our aging heroes receiving shabby treatment when they come to visit the monument to their efforts. They don’t seeing government workers sitting at home when they should be working. Never mind that Congress has determined that they will eventually be paid… and never mind the millions of non-government workers who have been unemployed for years and face the prospect of an even tougher job market if the plan goes forward.

Pelicans are kind of odd looking birds. The first thing one notices is their size. They are huge. One wonders if they can actually fly, especially when one sees their awkward movements when they are on the ground or perched atop a post along some dock. Then there is that ridiculously large throat that they use for scooping up fish out of the water.

That is the place where all the laughable characteristics fall away… when they are on the hunt for their daily food. Gliding just above the waves these birds are almost majestic with their eight foot wing span and effortless motion. This is their element… the air above the water teaming with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pelicans are natural predators that live off the fish of the sea. They are good at it and it is what they were designed to be.

We can learn a great deal from the pelicans. When they are doing what they were designed for, they are graceful and effective. When are not, it’s easy to question if they are good for anything. Often, when we are not fulfilling our purpose in life, it’s easy to wonder if we are good for anything. As we think about it, all this is doing is showing us that we may well have another calling in life.

[Editors note: so many people want to get their face time as the public turns its attention to the tenth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. Congressman Forbes is not one of them. He is the real deal, one of he good guys in congress who voted against every single bailout and stood up for America at every opportunity. This is an article he wrote one year ago on the tenth anniversary of the 911 tragedy.]

It is ten years later. Most of us remember where we were. We remember who we were with. We remember the phone calls we made, desperate to hear the sounds of our loved ones’ voices, to know they were OK. We remember the images of the twin towers crashing to the ground, the thick, gray ash that covered the New York City streets, the papers that littered the sidewalks, and the panic that followed. We remember the eery, weighty silence that swept the country in the days that followed. The images are burned into our minds.

Over the course of ten years since September 11, 2001, our nation has collectively gone through stages of grief: shock and denial that such a horrific act could have occurred. Anger at those who sought to take the lives of thousands of innocent people. Deep sadness over the senseless loss of lives and reflection as we try desperately to understand.

The final stage of grief is acceptance. While we have come to accept that this tragedy happened, we are resolved to never forget. As we enter a second decade of a post-9/11 nation, we face the reality that those Americans entering college this year were only eight years old when the attacks happened; old enough to know that something terrible had occurred, but probably too young to fully understand the gravity of the situation. Our nation’s high school freshmen very likely do not have any first-hand memories of that day.

[March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry took to the floor of St. John's Church in Richmond VA where he addressed the state's leading citizens. It had been a year and a half since the Boston Tea Party. It had been not quite a year since General Gage led four regiments into the same city. Just the month before John Hancock helped lead the Massachusetts Colony in establishing defenses against the unwanted British. Henry spoke from the heart - recognizing the dangers that lay ahead for the freedom seeking colonists, yet urged them forward anyway. May we be worthy of this man and the rest of the courageous founders who laid the groundwork for this great nation.]

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope that it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen, if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.

This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Often we read about some of the truly awful things that have happened in the past – sometimes even the not too distant past – and try to comfort ourselves with by thinking we are are living in a different time or different place. Until recently, many have thought we were immune from such atrocities we have heard about, read about or seen. In fact, many have kept their juvenile illusion that bad things will somehow skip over them and hit someone else.

Three thousand people thought the same thing as they prepared for their day on September 11, 2001. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Evil came to our shores that day. Or more properly, we saw evil’s presence on our shores that terrible morning.

It may make many uncomfortable to consider, but we live in a fallen world where the effects of this fall are all around us. Sometimes they are seen in smaller, individual ways like a ghetto child beaten to death by a drugged up parent. Sometimes we see it in more traumatic acts like the attacks on the twin towers and pentagon.

One question is, do we see greater evil in the deaths of 3000 men, women and children or in the death of a single innocent child? Are there degrees of evil? Was Nazi Germany the most evil because they killed six million Jews?

[Editors note: so many people want to get their face time as the public turns its attention to the tenth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. Congressman Forbes is not one of them. He is the real deal, one of he good guys in congress who voted against every single bailout and stood up for America at every opportunity.]

It is ten years later. Most of us remember where we were. We remember who we were with. We remember the phone calls we made, desperate to hear the sounds of our loved ones’ voices, to know they were OK. We remember the images of the twin towers crashing to the ground, the thick, gray ash that covered the New York City streets, the papers that littered the sidewalks, and the panic that followed. We remember the eery, weighty silence that swept the country in the days that followed. The images are burned into our minds.

Over the course of ten years since September 11, 2001, our nation has collectively gone through stages of grief: shock and denial that such a horrific act could have occurred. Anger at those who sought to take the lives of thousands of innocent people. Deep sadness over the senseless loss of lives and reflection as we try desperately to understand. Read more of this article »

Sometimes the opportunity presents itself to speak the truth to people unaccustomed to hearing it. Sometimes it’s accepted, sometimes it’s not, yet that does not change our responsibility. II Timothy 2:4 tells us, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.”

The opportunity came to pastor Bradlee Dean. Someone from his ministry convinced Rep. Ernie Leidiger go invite him to open the Minnesota House session with a prayer. I’m not sure that his attire was entirely appropriate… yet his words were completely on target. He spoke the truth to a body not used to hearing it. He spoke to people who were used to the deference given to the “Honorables”. Read more of this article »

We all understand the power of working as a team. It is good to have others to share burdens with. Yet there are times when we are faced with choices where no one goes with us. We sometimes come to cross roads where we can go with the crowd down a path we know to be wrong, or we can break with the group think and follow the promptings of our conscience.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is standing at such a crossroads. He could follow the desires of most of the world and allow the enemies of his country to possess land that was given to his ancestors and promised to succeeding generations, or he could do the right thing. The left in this country and his own are saying all manner of evil about him. They are plotting his political demise… although the people of his homeland believe otherwise.

Job 25:2 (KJV): Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places (the heights of heaven).

Air superiority is a necessity in any battle here on earth because the upper atmosphere controls all that is underneath it.

This principle truth had relevance long before Bildad the Shuhite ‘s dialogue with Job. The “heights of heaven” is the location of the Lord’s success in spiritual warfare against Satan (Rev. 12: 7 – 8). The heavens are also a powerful witness to Bildad’s forefather Abraham (through Keturah). G-d used them as a celestial screen to showcase His covenant to Abraham; to be the father of many nations (Gen 17:4).

Genesis 22: 17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; Read more of this article »

1. Setting a goal just isn’t enough. You need a vision. You need to work hard to implement your plan, tweaking it as you go along. Learn from your mistakes knowing mistakes are stepping stones to success most people don’t acknowledge as life’s greatest lessons.

2. Yes, follow your passion after all it is passion and dedication that create success. Be dedicated. Believe in yourself. Make time to look for opportunities to do something better than just about everyone else being mindful to act responsibly to everyone, keeping family and colleagues happy knowing the people you pass on the way up are the same people you pass on the way down. Up or down, the gift is their willingness and desire to reach their hands out to you.

3. There is no reinventing the wheel. There are countless variations thereof so while risk is a necessary evil, more important is making time to learn from others inventions while risking making your own the time you invest into learning makes for much less competition. Read more of this article »

The new Christine O’Donnell ad running in Delaware is a little different than the type of thing we are accustomed to seeing. It is a peaceful presence in a political world dominated by nasty, negative sounds and images. To be sure, going negative works or it would not be done with such annoying frequency, but not right now.

Ms. O’Donnell is in the midst of a firestorm of hostility, not just from her opponent, but from elements within her own party. The funny thing about her situation is that the more the opposition rants and raves about her imaginary faults, the larger and more loyal her cadre of followers grows. While many of us, myself included, smile every time we see Chris Christie tear the rhetorical heart of some n’er do well progressive, there is a time and place for everything. There certainly will be a time for that in her current campaign, given complete unsuitability for the position of her opponent, Cris Coons.

The press, Coons, who bills himself as “strong, progressive voice for Delaware”, party insiders and even some so-called conservative pundits have tried to label her as a kook, with some flaky ideas and a checkered past. Now just may be the time for some calm, personal assurance the Ms. O’Donnell is, indeed, just like us… disgusted with politics as usual… and wanting to return to the country they knew. Read more of this article »

Books could be written on this subject, but I believe Brad Stine gets to the point. Even as you read this, some think it’s not right to call someone a wuss. They prefer terms like metrosexual to refer to someone who is still kind of straight, but has adapted some of the effeminate habits of those who are not. They believe the urban denizens who value almost nothing that doesn’t revolve around them are superior to good old boys who love their country… and are the ones who fight and die for it. It is a culture that considers a blue collar guy like Todd Palin a bit of a barbarian, yet believes Perez Hilton is someone whose opinion should be heard. We’re in a heap of trouble folks!

With racing season in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to provide some advice for the few Democrats brave enough to read this blog. For those of you intelligent enough not to fall into this category, you may find tips on how to help your less perceptive friends navigate among real Americans. Watch and enjoy!

There has been copious speculation about who will arise to oppose Barack Hussein Obama at the end of his first and only term in office. There are almost as many ideas as there are people disgusted with the path of our country. I am looking for something more than an ideal candidate that can win an election. Instead of a politician running for an office, I would suggest we should be looking for a statesman… a leader with a vision and passion.

We often think of men like Washington, Jefferson, Adams… presidents all, but they were not alone in building the fledgling nation. There were others who drove the cause of freedom, helping pave the way to our independence. Patrick Henry was one of these who guided the our country into the light of independence. This future governor of Virginia is credited with helping his contemporaries see the need for independence and helping them to commit to fighting for it.

Through the years, his words have inspired many to a greater belief in both liberty and themselves. He demonstrated a single minded dedication to his country and its people. In view of the hazardous days ahead for our nation, it would be well to study these ideas coming from this man who loved his land and loved liberty. Read more of this article »

Most of us Americans have a deep and abiding respect and admiration for our country’s fighting men who have served–and are serving–within the US Armed Forces. We appreciate their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for the preservation of our nation’s liberty and independence. We honor their sacrifice. Indeed, many of us share that sacrifice with the deaths, dismemberments, and paralysis of our most cherished loved ones who were killed or injured in the line of duty.

It is time, however, that we awaken to the reality of what our military is becoming and where it is heading. Suffice it to say, this is not your father’s army.

On December 8, 1941, my father, Ed Baldwin–along with his two brothers, Bud and Gene–marched down to a recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to enlist. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor the day before, and no branch of service had to beg people to enlist that day. Bud joined the Navy. Gene joined the Marines. When government officials saw Dad’s resumé, they selected him to help construct the atomic bomb. All three brothers served their country with distinction throughout the war. Read more of this article »

One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of some potentially catastrophic–or at the very least, challenging–days. In fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work, losing one’s home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.

The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very real. Only a “blooming idiot” would call someone who attempts to prepare for “the day of adversity” a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the storm clouds on the horizon isn’t paying attention.

For example, can one imagine what would happen if terrorists nuked a major American city or cities? (Once again, I encourage readers to go get the videos of the CBS TV series “Jericho” to get an idea of how quickly life, and even civilization, could change.) Imagine if there was another 9/11-type event. What would happen if some form of Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the US? What would happen if anything disrupted the distribution of Welfare checks, or food to local grocers? Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style natural disaster in your town. I think people everywhere are beginning to awaken to just how vulnerable we all really are. Read more of this article »

Editors note: this is a letter a New Jersey woman wrote to her local paper expressing what many of us feel this time of year. Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy our families and express gratitude for all the good things this great country has to offer. However we cannot forget those who cannot be with their families and friends this holiday season… just like we cannot forget those who will never be coming home to their families and friends. Keep them in your prayers as well, both for their safety and their sense of abandonment. If there is a family near you that will be alone because daddy or mommy is overseas, why not invite them to join you for your dinner?

Dear Editor:

While I’m eating my Thanksgiving dinner with my family this year, I’m going to have a hard time enjoying it knowing that our President is willingly allowing our men and women in Afghanistan to die while waiting for him to make up his mind whether or not to give them the resources they need for survival. Read more of this article »

A recent column co-authored by John Eidsmoe and Ben DuPré struck me. They titled their column, “What makes a ‘great’ president?”

See it at: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=114683

The basic thrust of the column was to examine the qualities that make one a “great” President. They start by examining the Presidency of our 11th President, James K. Polk. They note that Polk is commonly regarded as being one of America’s top 12 greatest Presidents. To use their words, “between eighth and 12th among our greatest presidents.”

Eidsmoe and Dupré note that Polk was undoubtedly a man of outstanding Christian character and faith. They say that Polk was “the only president who kept and fulfilled every one of his campaign promises.” They observe him to be a man “with a Puritan work ethic, [who] literally worked himself to death as president, retired from office in broken health and died 103 days later.” Read more of this article »

A surprising revelation sprang into my quiet time this morning. It’s connected to a prophetic word God gave me yesterday called “A DECREE FROM THE LORD.” It’s posted on my blog http://Nancy777.com.

I was studying a teaching by Kim Clement on the subject of REVELATION. He said, “A revelation is a sudden compelling force or action that induces motion.” He went on to explain that it drives you forward and creates spiritual motion and with this motion creates expression by inactivating the “negative control system” and activating the “positive control system.”

I learned we have two control systems in us: negative and positive. The negative one is continually fed by the news media, bad reports, and bad things etc. These negative things stifle us and bring fear. What God does is suddenly activate the positive control system in you by inactivating the negative control system.

Kim said, “REVELATION CANNOT COME INTO EXISTENCE WITHOUT YOU! GOD NEEDS SOMEBODY TO BRING REVELATION INTO EXISTENCE IN TIME AND SPACE.” Read more of this article »

Encumbering world’s numbering
Soldiers in rows and rows and rows,
In infinite rows of
Infinite possibilites of oppression,
While innocent bystanders
Fumble through words and motions
Playing the pathetic part of victim.
Shadowy shadows dancing in the night with delight
At the sight of such tomfoolery.
Lost in a sea of misunderstandings and misunderstood,
Wanting to be recognized
Amidst the lies that stretch into an eternal dead sea.
This is not your home.
Awake to the sense of self that calls forth from you
The power of courage and life.
Ignite the flame that extinguishes fear,
The perfect and complete love,
The love that resides inside you.
It’s been calling you since childhood,
Calling you to a greater good.
Vanquish the mocking shadows with the light;
The brilliant, beautiful light.
The light that is created through hope.
The hope that is created through love.
The love that is created through you.

North Korea set just set off nuclear and missile tests that set the western nations all atwitter. Kim Jong-Il loves the attention, sort of like a crazy man with a gun at the local mall. Only things aren’t quite so straight forward when the actors are nations. We can’t just send in snipers and eliminate the danger. I know I felt better when I saw the brief statement by our President strongly condemning this action and promising to work with the international community in strongly condemning the tests and promising to work for even more severe sanctions on the rogue regime.

The fact that such responses have been so effective in the past is encouraging. Wait a minute… in reviewing the history of our relations with North Korea it seems that such actions have produced no change in actions and policies of the Asian nation. Perhaps the leader is unaware of the displeasure expressed by the international community as the state run press certainly will not be carrying any stories critical of his actions… sort of like the New York Times and the Obama administration.

If only we could get his personal email address so the President could contact him directly with his strongly worded message… maybe using ALL CAPS and perhaps even bolding some of the stronger words for emphasis. Then we might be able to get through to Kim Jong-Il, who, wanting to be a good neighbor to us all, will abandon the program.

If this doesn’t work, there is talk of pressuring China to encourage North Korea to put the brakes on their nuclear program. This is an excellent plan as our good friends the Chicoms have always been looking out for our well being and would be happy to help us out by easing world tensions. Some might say we don’t much leverage with China anymore, I’m not sure this is true. The United States has become such a huge customer for Chinese goods and they have bought so much of our debt, we need to approach them in terms of protecting their investment. We need to explain that if the crazy Korean starts lobbing nukes at the US, it would make it much more difficult for us to pay back the loans they have given us. Read more of this article »

One of the principles of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is the private victory must precede public victory. What this means is that we have to bring ourselves under control before we can hope to effectively deal with outside situations. If self control sounds like a biblical virtue, it is.

This self control, among other things, means a sense of mission and focus on the issues at hand that denies the many distractions the power to divert you from the path to your goals. The goals themselves are a subject for another day, but for the moment we shall assume that they are worthwhile in themselves and worthy of your best efforts.

So what obstacles requiring self control may you run into while pursuing the public good? Once you stick your head above the crowd to be heard, you immediately become a target for flying tomatoes and anything else those who live in the status quo can throw at you. Your motives will be questioned. Everything you do will be scrutinized… which is one more reason to walk the straight and narrow and keep everything on the up and up.

Then the most trying time of all may come to you. You may succeed. People will complement you. They may hang on every word you utter. You will be invited to things you’ve never been to before. It can be very easy to start to believe you are actually that good. Read more of this article »

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